The Importance of A Quality Ottawa Heating System
Winters in the Greater Ottawa area can be brutally cold, snow filled and last for what seems like half the year! The heating system in your home is a crucial component to ensure you and your family are comfortable and safe throughout the entire season. Natural Resources Canada cites that 63% of energy used by the average Canadian home is coming directly from heating the space! An additional 20% of energy is used for heating the water in the home! With an astonishing 83% of energy use coming from your HVAC equipment it is no surprise that the government of Ontario has numerous rebates available for higher efficiency units. When it comes to heating the home, Airzone HVAC Services specializes in creating custom ottawa heating systems that give you exactly what you are looking for within the budget you have in mind. With numerous different options for fuel source, equipment size and efficiency ratings, our goal is to make the purchasing process as transparent and simple as possible!
Ottawa Heating Experts; the frontier of efficiency and technology
With the astounding statistics on energy use in Canada it becomes evident quite quickly that each season that old furnace in the basement continues to run, can cost you immensely. The average furnace installed 20 years ago was an 80% efficient model. This means that each dollar that you pay to your fuel provider is not being used as well as possible. Only 80 cents is actually being utilized to heat the home as 20 cents goes directly through the chimney and is wasted energy. The 80% efficient furnace is a thing of the past, with the new standard in Canada being 90% as a minimum for installation. Some of the Ottawa heating furnaces offered by AirZone reach as high as 98.7% efficient, maximizing your heating investment to ensure that your hard earned money is not being wasted. Not only are these advancements good for the pocket book but also allows your heating system to use less fuel, which is of course good for the environment. One common misconception in the industry is that a new furnace will only save money on your gas bill. The reality is quite the contrary, electricity is a very large portion of your furnace’s operation, as the fan is run completely by a motor being energized by electricity. Ontario has some of the highest hydro rates in the entire world and allowing an inefficient furnace to run can be a serious drain on your power bill. The explanation for this is simple; technology has advanced so far in the last twenty years that most furnaces are now equipped with what are known as ECM motors (variable speed). An ECM motor is run off of a DC voltage and a magnetic field, and is programmed to deliver the exact amount of air in CFM (cubic feet per minute) your home requires for heating or cooling. In sharp contrast, the old inefficient motors (PSC) are not controllable and worked at one constant speed. The change from the PSC motors to the fully variable (ECM) can save up to 75% on the electrical bill. If that is not enough of an incentive to make the change, these new motors also require much less maintenance, run at quieter decibel and are much less prone to overheating! Finally, the ECM motor allows your home to have the perfect amount of air circulating through it at all times. This helps eliminate cold and hot spots while minimizing the fluctuation of temperatures in the home. With the efficient operation of these motors it becomes much more cost effective to run them constantly, allowing the homes air to pass through the furnace filter much more. Ultimately, an ECM improves the quality of air in your home as airflow is much more constant, allowing you to breathe easier knowing your home’s air is being filtered constantly!
Heating Ottawa – Is it time to replace your system?
When debating whether to replace or repair HVAC equipment, it is prudent to evaluate the energy costs of the old unit. Though upfront costs for replacement can be an unexpected surprise, often the savings in energy alone pay for the unit over the course of its lifetime. With the improvements in technology and a better understanding of what it takes to keep a home comfortable, there is no better time than now to invest in the comfort, air quality and energy savings. Call our office today to speak with a Home Comfort advisor and receive your free in home estimate!
